In June 2026, the 24th International Conference on Ion Beam Modification of Materials (IBMM-24) took place in Helsinki. The international conference, held every two years, brought together 213 participants. The scientific topics ranged from radiation effects and self-organization processes to the use of ion beams for the development and fabrication of quantum computers.
The IOM was represented by four researchers and a total of six scientific presentations. Participants included Dr. Darina Manova and Dr. Stephan Mändl from the cross-section unit “Tools”, Dr. Yeliz Unutulmazsoy from the “Plasma-assisted Deposition of Thin Films” research group in the “Barrier and Precision Coatings” research field, and Yingjuan Duan from the “Ion beam assisted patterning and smoothing” research group in the “Ultra-precision Surfaces” research field.
The diversity of the presented work reflected the IOM’s broad spectrum of methods and expertise while also strengthening the institute’s international visibility. Of a total of 240 submitted papers, 52 were selected for oral presentations. The lecture program was complemented by more than 150 poster presentations.
A particular highlight was the invited talk by Dr. Yeliz Unutulmazsoy. She presented research on the relative contributions of kinetic and potential energy to layer deposition in energetic deposition processes. A deeper understanding of the underlying physical mechanisms can help to predict the quality of deposited layers more precisely in the future.
In five additional poster presentations, IOM researchers presented current results on in-situ analysis using low-energy ion beams, on sputtering measurements involving combinations of ions and surfaces relevant to space applications, and on dynamic measurements of secondary electron yield. Other topics included the spatial distribution of particles emitted by a broad-beam ion source and the formation of ripples on surfaces when bombarded with reactive ion beams.
In addition, Yingjuan Duan participated in the “Three Minute Thesis” competition, where scientific research is presented in a clear and concise manner within three minutes.